An exercise to increase.. brain activity?

namphoto · #1 02-11-2008, 11:25 PM

The other day I shot a band, got good photos but like always gots a couple shit photos. This is one of them. But it was a moment to catch and so I tried to edit it, foolishly. Half way through, trying too hard, I realized it isn't worth, but then I thought, EVERYONE can learn from this, so...

Ive purposely provided a very flawed, bad, overrated picture in which I want EVERYONE to seek and destroy the flaws in the editing or the actual photo to the smallest detail. To take it a step further try to fix those problems and hopefully in the end we can have a decent photo; in a real situation Id never work this hard on a bad photo, but this just an exercise. This should be fun.

http://flickr.com/photos/21484632@N0...96559/sizes/l/

0lBaldy · #2 02-12-2008, 02:03 AM

cleaned it up for you.

smak · #3 02-12-2008, 09:59 AM

That's a sh*t photo? It looks great.

acsi · #4 02-12-2008, 11:45 AM

0lBaldy : How is that cleaning it up? You took out the hyginx, and left only 3 faces? I don't think that was the strength of the photo.

bartjoosen · #5 02-12-2008, 12:29 PM

Tried some desaturated effect:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...81/th_band.jpg

Bart

dataflow · #6 02-12-2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bartjoosen

Tried some desaturated effect:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...81/th_band.jpg

Bart

i think your image is a bit to small

edgework · #7 02-12-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smak

That's a sh*t photo? It looks great.

I agree. There have been two or three extensive threads here recently all devoted to attaining pretty much the look you toss off as shit. Dunno, maybe you should write a tute.

0lBaldy · #8 02-12-2008, 05:28 PM

asci,
You are right, It is a fun in the moment photo which only needs a little more work to finish it off in the original version and I am sure the Band members loved it.. Plus it has the LOOK a lot of people are presently trying to attain.. I should have also read between the lines of the leading post (the wording really details the picture):
"shit photos"... "a moment to catch"... "Half way through, trying too hard"... "EVERYONE can learn from this"... "in the end".. "Id never work this hard ".. "just an exercise. This should be fun."

BTW, asci, I see you used an abundance of transparent pixels in your version of how to maintain the strength of the photo while leaving the High-jinks in..

Now to get serious and answer your question.. IMHO.. The "three faces" could more readily be used as a Cover, as opposed to being punked by your fellow band members. It may be fun and in the moment, but I feel it is not really cover material to offer up to the public.. ERGO "cleaned up"
Of course this is only my opinion. Which, in the grand scheme of things means less than nothing as I am sure you can relate.

namphoto · #9 02-12-2008, 09:33 PM

hey I understand what youre sayin ol' and it can be agreed that the content is explict for the public yeah.

The reason I said it was a shit photo was because the highlights are blown out on the second guys nose, the lighting on the right guy is soo uneven, along with his face. The left and right guys also have flat faces IMO, and I was asking if anyone else could find small details like that. This was maybe 3 hours of work, rushed it. I told someone in another thread that I ususally do atleast 7 hours a photo and he told me that maybe it takes you so long because youre not professional, regardless, I work that long to find every detail possible, and I think a real photo can't be completed without finding every little deatil. So that was kind of the direction I was heading with this. I don tknow how many of us on this forum want to aspire to retouch as a career, but its a skilled art and just like any other artform, without details its not completed. the SMALLEST details. just my philosophy.

p.s. I promise Ill write a tut soon, or atleast a timelapse of my workflow.

p.s.s. this is the original to understand what I was saying about not liking the photo, if you want anyone can edit it for themselves, just post it so we can check it out.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7182/dsc04468dh2.jpg

0lBaldy · #10 02-12-2008, 10:43 PM

Namphoto,
I was not dissing your photo.. Although I did think the words you used (if taken out of context) were funny and appropriate for the photo ..
From what I have seen you do excellent photography work and the type of post work you are trying to emulate is difficult to achieve as attested to in the other forums on this site. BUT, you ARE one of the few who has done an excellent job of figuring it out and nailing it in your own way!

Ansel Adams was not the fastest Photographer on the block and his Post production was very painstakingly slow and exact.. good work is all in the details..

It is refreshing to see someone as committed as yourself to getting it right.. Keep up the good work!

smak · #11 02-13-2008, 12:12 AM

We all aspire to improve. I think the retouched image looks great.
Reading the post though, I was reminded of of friend who was agonizing because he got a 95% score on the Law School Admission Test.

bartjoosen · #12 02-13-2008, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dataflow

i think your image is a bit to small

lol, I posted the thumbnail....

Here the full version:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...eto81/band.jpg

Bart

CaptainHook · #13 02-13-2008, 02:14 PM

Nam ~ i had a go with your photo.
For my preference, yours was too saturated, too much yellow/orange,
and i found your quest for facial detail to end up with a dark result
i dont like that much.

I DO like your photos though. And like your 'overall' style.

Here's mine and what i did:

My Attempt on your photo.

Used s/h, selective color, blue channel desat, hue/sat, curves, REALLY
rough and quick PWL, luminosity mask.
Spent about 20 mins and DON'T consider this a finished piece. FAR from it.
More like just 'roughing it in'. I would prob spend a few hours on a high res
pic aiming for the same overall look.
I haven't gone after the details like you asked. I'd ask for the raw files
to bother trying that.

And for the record i don't think how long you spend defines if you are
professional. The results do.

namphoto · #14 02-13-2008, 07:50 PM

everyone thanks for the encouraging words, its really helpful knowing what other people think of my work, and i guess thats why we're an awesome community.

@Captain I really like what you did with my photo, but I do alot of work on the warmer side, but maybe ill start cooling it down just a tad because Ive been getting too much oranges a few people say. And im glad you agree, time doesnt make you a professional.

for everyone else, I DO promise a tute soon.